Wooden Nickels
by everybreathitake
Summary: On a path paved by her fiancée, Kagome must walk through a world of deception and revenge where her unfeeling captor is both her enemy and protector [InuxKag].


_Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi_

Summary: Kagome Higurashi had believed her life to be filled with endless opportunity and affection. He lived the life of what he knew to be abuse and solitude. On a path paved by her fiancée, Kagome must now walk through a world of deception and revenge where her unfeeling captor is both her enemy and protector InuxKag.

**  
Wooden Nickels**

_Chapter 1: A Matter of Conscious or Consequence?_

_Follow thy fair sun, unhappy shadow;  
Though thou be black as night,  
And she made all of light,  
Yet follow thy fair sun, unhappy shadow. _

_Follow her, while yet her glory shineth;  
There comes a luckless night  
That will dim all her light;  
And this the black unhappy shade divineth.  
__--Thomas Campion  
_

From the moment she woke up to find her bedroom empty, the apartment silent; Kagome Higurashi knew there was something wrong. The better part of the day had been spent trying to reconcile herself that it was only her nerves from the serious nature of their relationship as of late, that it was some emotion other than love and concern that made her feel anxious to have him return to her. Kouga was always there when she woke up, and for the last few weeks had been sure to wish her a "good morning" before setting off for work.

After a month of routine only to be broken so suddenly--this was surely an oddity. Not even a note to account for his absence! She knew of no meetings, of no appointments at the office he had to get to early. In fact, she was so sure of Kouga's inability to function in the morning that she never made a conscious effort to talk to him. The latter didn't sound like a great thing unless one knew Kagome and her ability to talk. To some up her talent lightly, a book taught her nothing and lectures everything. She was a girl of the mouth and ear, but with no particular sense of sight.

By the afternoon she had drawn into an antsy state and gone out to lunch with a couple of friends across the way to pull her mind away from the nagging feelings coming over her. For after talking with one of Kouga's close relations, hearing a report of nothing out of the usual; she was convinced it was just a trick of her mind. More of a punishment of the soul for what her thoughts were floating around for the past few days, rather than cause for believing in a horrible event to occur.

With this new conviction that her conscious was the villain, Kagome left her friends at lunch for a quiet walk through the nearby park. The afternoon wasn't as foreboding as her mind would have claimed it to be, and so she enjoyed her usual rounds of the suburban park while her body and soul bathed happily in the light. Along the way she met up with another of Kouga's friends who was on his way to the bus stop. She immediately came up to him, trying to keep her heart controlled after his initial jump at seeing her.

"Hello Ginta! Where are you off to? Lunch?"

"Oh, Kagome" He gave her what she could only believe to be a forced smile "I--I didn't see you there. Yeah. Yeah--I'm off to lunch"

"Across town?"

"No! No--why would I want to go across town?"

She flattered him with a skeptical look "That's the bus you're waiting for, isn't it?"

He twisted his schedule a bit "Oh, well. Yeah. There's this great place across town. Really nice. Had to see for myself"

"But, you just said that you weren't--"

"So, what brings you out here? Lunch too. There are such fine places to eat--in town. Yes. I'm sure the best places are in town. You're not going across town are you?" He said this with a certain shortness of breath which did anything but comfort her.

"I've already had lunch" she replied shortly "But tell me--are you meeting Kouga for lunch?"

"Across town? Oh no. Kouga really doesn't like it over there"

"So you aren't meeting him?"

"No"

"Have you seen him at all today?" She continued quickly, hearing the bus coming from behind her "I only ask because I haven't seen him today. I thought he might have gone to work early or--"

"I haven't. Not today" he replied, in that same short breath. He shakily moved past her to get on the bus, offering an "I'll tell him I saw you when--if I see him" before the door locked him away from her.

Now, Kagome never particularly felt Kouga's immediate friends to have a strong disposition as that of her fiancée but--that display did nothing but made her anxiety in increase.

With a heavy heart and a quick step, Kagome made it back to her and Kouga's apartment in record time. The phone in the kitchen revealed no missed calls as well as her cell phone, left carelessly upon the bed since she had made plans for lunch earlier that morning. Although she was most eager to hear his voice, the most eager she had ever felt in anything towards him; she wouldn't call him.

Instead, she punched 3 on her phone and was rewarded with a greeting from Yuka.

"Hey Yuka! What are you up to?"

"Bored. Bored, bored, bored. I'm waiting in line at the freakin' beauty salon. An hour to wait just to get your hair done!"

"For what?"

"I'm going out with Houjo tonight. He's taking me to some fancy place and I figured this was the best time as any to get my hair done"

"You just had your hair done last week. And that was for a baseball game"

"Hey. I needed that style for the hat" she said coolly "If I'm made to wear that thing; I might as well make it look good"

"I just won't question your reasons. It's easier that way"

"Thanks. So what are you up to? I thought you were out to lunch with those people"

Kagome smiled "_Those _people. You mean Kouga's friends?"

"Well, they can't be yours. You're nothing like them! And I hope you'll never be"

"And how are they exactly?"

"Stuck up. Money burners. Wealthy"

She laughed heartily "Says the girl who's blowing money at the salon!"

"This is nothing to what _that_ kind does. They have freakin' diamonds in their shoes"

"You'd never object if Houjo gave you a gift like that"

"I never object gifts, Kag" she replied sweetly "The point is, they throw it all away. It's the green stuff they eat and breathe...Now, I'm not saying Kouga's not a great guy. He is. And with an awesome face to prove it! Just--I wish he'd be great in his choice of friends"

"Oh, they're all people from his accounting business" Kagome replied offhandedly "They amuse each other"

"Do they amuse you?"

"They're nice"

"You're just lucky you're one of the most beautiful girls in this area or you'd be eaten alive for that view"

"Okay, okay. Enough relation bashing. Yes, I did go out with them. Tanya, Susan, and Lala were all wonderful"

"Lala? Did you make that up?" she asked critically "And since when have you used the term "wonderful"? Oh gawd. I knew it. You're turning into--those people"

Kagome laughed outright "Yes, yes. They're dragging me down. Capturing me into their clutches of conformity"

"There now! That's more like the Kagome I know!" Yuka said merrily "Again--Kouga? Great guy. But really, he's hushing you up"

"I hush myself up" Kagome said truthfully "Now seriously. Subject drop, alright? I need amusement. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Do you even have to ask? Bring over a copy of some magazine though if you don't want to return to the bashing. National Geographic can only amuse you for so long"

The two ended up having such a great time, more so than Kagome admittedly had at lunch; that the girl was able to forget all about her curious thoughts centered on her fiancée. It wasn't until after a great deal of waiting, hair styling, pampering, and shopping did his name come back to her. This all thanks to Yuka's desire to see the recent picture of the couple from a trip to Kouga's private beach house the previous week. Which she had not been invited too.

After a bit of shuffling through her oversized purse, Kagome pulled out a picture of the two of them lounging on the beach. The sun was setting behind them with the frozen waves reflecting the skies to produce an effect of never-ending life. The two sat side by side with their legs out before them, both in black swimsuits. His arm was slung loosely around her shoulder, pulling her into his side as to let her cheek rest against his.

The smiles in the picture told of good times and warm feelings but, Kagome was sure, if one really looked into her face that it was most obvious to pick out the discomfort she had suffered through that week. Her smile wasn't as bright as it had once been, or as wide. Her whole face spoke of constraint and uncertainty. To the knowing eye, that is. To the untrained it was the perfect picture of joy.

"Well, what a happy couple you two make! And jeez, can you get any tanner!" She looked over the photo to her friend with a dry look "Making me jealous. If I had gone, you'd still be able to make me look pale and sickly"

Kagome stirred her lemonade meekly "He should have invited you"

"Should of. Would of"

"He just--doesn't approve of Houjo" she said softly "He's not as--well, he says he needs more iron in him"

"Hmm. Or more figures in his paycheck" she said lamely, flinging the picture back "So it was fun?"

"It wasn't bad. A beach is a beach"

"Ok. Now I know he's brainwashed you" Yuka said hardly "The Kagome I knew would never call a beach just a beach. The same girl who would gaze at the clouds for hours, convincing me that one ball of pollution was different from the next" Yuka raised her eyebrow, watching as Kagome pushed the picture back into her purse "Say one more thing like that and you'll really have me worried about this marriage"

The rest of the cafe stop was spent in discussing which outfit would look best with Yuka's hair, deciding on the first dress from the private shop, and also agreeing that Houjo wouldn't notice the way it came together flawlessly despite all the effort. Although her words flowed through this conversation, Kagome's mind certainly did not. No matter how she fought, she couldn't _not_ think about him for long. Convince herself as she may that Kouga was a big boy, she couldn't rip him from her thoughts.

Whenever she found herself not thinking of him, though, she would immediately feel guilty for it. He was her fiancée after all and to not be concerned or at least anxious about something odd was surely an act of indifference. Exactly what she was afraid of feeling.

So until the two friends parted Kagome spent her time trying to think of him when she wasn't, and trying not to when she was.

With a load of shopping bags in both of their hands, Kagome and Yuka parted with hugs and promises. It was now getting dark, nearing dinner time, and the shadows were starting to chase away the dying sunlight. Around her, people of fine dress were climbing into shiny limos or brilliantly expensive cars that would take them away to some important dinner engagement. It seemed the shadows would avoid these people. That only the sun would dare to touch them, to bath them in light and warmth. It brightened their features, made their gowns shine, and their jewelry sparkle. And the shadows? They remained cool and untouched. Avoided and uncared for by the people of fashion.

As she walked, not a shadow touched her. All the way up to the stairs of her apartment she was kept company by the smiles and greetings of all her acquaintances and the dying beams of the sun. Every mouth was full of good humor, every voice with kind joy. And the shadows? They, still, remained cool and untouched.

A boy with a blue cap opened the door for her at the entrance and greeted her as warm as the others of the sunlight. She smiled back and inquired after her fiancée.

"Mr. Ritnem has not returned yet. Would you like me to call him?"

"No, that's not necessary. Thank you, Alex"

He nodded, only asking to help with her bags, an offer which was refused; before accompanying her to the elevator. Here, another man greeted her kindly.

"And so Kagome comes home with ten more pounds of clothes one will never see her wear"

She pouted "I will. Just--when I feel like it"

He laughed "No matter how many bags you come out with, it always seems you want to wear the same green dress"

"It's comfy" she retorted

"But Kouga would rather load you up with piles of others? Not comfortable in the slightest?"

She made no answer, lifting her chin slightly. It was a motion she adapted as a new habit. It was only a few times out of the many that she was able to catch herself, and this wasn't one of them. With her chin lifted high, she rode the remainder of the time in silence. Only when she bid Gregory farewell did she allow him the pleasure of hearing her voice again.

Being on the floor, seeing the door coming closer and closer brought back that same unwanted, yet utterly forced, anxiety that had acted upon her all day. Her heart beat fast as the hall seemed to lengthen in her walk. One of the lights, the first as you exited the elevator, was out and so she was forced to walk in the shadows, which she did at a quicker speed than the remaining steps forward. Once in the light, the knocker shone brightly in the distance. The golden letters "_Mr. and Mrs. Kouga Ritnem_" mocking her as if she weren't worthy to reach them.

But reach them she most certainly did. With a soft thump she dropped her bags to the floor and allowed herself the relief of a sweet little sigh as her reward for such an achievement. While she searched for her keys an uneasy feeling started creeping over the length of her spine and down to the center of her bones. A cool chill rose, brushing across her skin and making her shiver with a short, soft breath. She shook it away, unwilling to give into what she was sure was her battered little mind. Her head bowed, her heart sore, and her fingers engaged, she didn't notice the figure rising from the shadows.

The sound of her keys as they hit her against her engagement ring jolted her mind and took away any thoughts of her surroundings. The shiny piece of metal met the keyhole, but never had the chance to go further.

The next time Gregory dropped off one of the residents on Kagome Higurashi's floor, he saw a mound of bags in the distance and a key shinning in the midst of the shadows.


End file.
